Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Corvid Trials (The Bagsy Chronicles 2)

Quidditch Squabbles

Greenda looked like she'd either cry or scream – or both.

Bagsy sat silently, wishing the ground would swallow her up, or the wax from the dripping candles would pour over her and hide her from sight.

Greenda sniffed and returned to her food without a word.

'Greenda-?'

'Please, not now, Bagsy,' Greenda said weakly, shoving a mouthful of jam and bread into her mouth and chewing it miserably.

'You owe her an apology,' a voice behind Bagsy said harshly. Greenda snapped around to look at Mezrielda who stood, hands on her hips, glaring at her.

'I have apologized,' Greenda said. 'Who even are you?'

'I wasn't talking about Emmeline,' Mezrielda grit out. Greenda stalled, her eyes sliding in the direction of Bagsy. 'I don't care what's going on between you and Emmeline. I care about how horrid you're being to one of the few people whose been nothing but nice to you since she got here. Emmeline is right – you're not a very good friend if one song makes you avoid her.' Bagsy felt a rush of different emotions. Sadness because Greenda had been ignoring her, but also a flush of gratitude. She'd only mentioned what was going on with Greenda in brief passing to Mezrielda right at the start of the year, yet here she was, having noticed it all in its entirety and deciding to stand up for her.

Greenda seemed to fold in on herself like one of Neve's papers. She didn't seem to know what to say.

'Repeat after me,' Mezrielda growled, leaning down to be eye level with Greenda, 'I'm sorry.'

'I haven't been avoiding her,' Greenda defended herself meekly. 'I just don't want to smother her, it's important she makes friends with people her own age. I know I'm annoying and talk too much so I just... I don't know...'

Mezrielda looked about ready to bite Greenda's head off.

'Mezrielda, it's fine,' Bagsy assured her hurriedly. Mezrielda paused, but eventually nodded at Bagsy, backing off, to her relief.

'Hey! It's her!' Teresa hissed, marching over to where they were with Neve and Itsuki on her heels. 'What did we say about coming to the Hufflepuff table?' Teresa spat at Mezrielda, who was already turning to leave.

Greenda shot to her feet, her prefect badge glinting importantly on her chest. 'You do not treat your fellow students that way,' she snapped. Bagsy looked at Greenda, stunned. Mezrielda seemed just as surprised, casting her brown eyes to Bagsy in a does she normally do that? way.

'She destroyed my worm farm-'

'People make mistakes,' Greenda cut over her, 'let it go and leave her be.'

'Look, you must have heard what happened, I told everyone! She's in the wrong, not me.'

'You shouldn't go spreading hurtful information like that,' Greenda snapped angrily. 'It's your and Mezrielda's business – no one else's. You'd do well to remember that.'

'But she was being rude to you, we all saw how so she was talking just then-'

'She was helping me realise something I should have realised a while ago,' Greenda cut across Teresa again. Now Bagsy was really stunned. 'Now eat your breakfast away from us or it'll be ten points from Hufflepuff. Each.'

Looking murderous, Teresa stormed to the other end of the table.

'Hi, Bagsy,' Neve sad quietly, as if Teresa and Greenda's row hadn't just happened.

'Hi Neve,' Bagsy responded, equally quietly, before Neve and the rest left for their own seats.

Ford shifted uncomfortably in his spot. 'We should get to the pitch.'